Blog

Why I love Coaching

My coaching blog is designed to help people understand what coaching has to offer, and to share some of the fascinating insights I am privileged to encounter. And when I say privileged, I sincerely mean this. Every time a client makes a discovery I am as energised by it as they are. I often find the insights are relevant for me in my life. I am in awe of the realisations my client’s make, and the subsequent steps they take. Working as a coach inspires me, and encourages me to be braver in my life, be more authentic, and be clearer and stronger in identifying and requesting what makes my life work well for me. This is all about putting my ideals into practice, and my clients really lead the way here.

I have the experience of being in psychodynamic psychotherapy. Over seven years in fact. This meant working with my analyst at least twice a week, and more for the last two years. The work uncovers unconscious processes and patterns, and exposes them. Simply being aware of them makes patterns easier to deal with. Some disappear as they are brought to light, and other tendencies I now understand and have learnt to accept. This exploration has been transformational, and has enabled me be my genuine self. My life has changed, and my mind is generally at peace, allowing me to live in the moment.

I wanted to provide something transformational to others, but without the barriers of cost, time, long-term commitment and stigma. And coaching really is the answer. Some people benefit from ongoing coaching, but for most people it would be a serious of six sessions, and then a break, and possibly more work further down the line. The sessions are best two or three weeks apart so there is time to reflect on discoveries and put actions into practice. We set an overall goal for the series of sessions, together, and this is a really important part of the process, as the articulation of what you want to achieve involves digging quite deep. We will then identify a goal for each conversation.

But the key aspect of coaching, or at least my form of ‘solutions based’ coaching, which is truly amazing to me, is the fact we really do not need to spend time exploring what is not going well and what does not work for you. Coaching is not a painful experience and you do not need to go there. You may want to, and I will accompany you, but the dynamism of coaching really comes from finding the positive experiences in your work, your life, either here and now, or in the past, and working out how to bring more of this into your life. Generally the positive experiences and parts of your life, the scenarios that enable you to be most happy, engaged, creative and dynamic, are the times when you are most able to be yourself.

Another amazing element of coaching is that although it gives you time to reflect on what works well and what enables that to happen, it is forward looking and action orientated. This means that each session gives you a new outlook, and you actually make changes straight away! Your ideas, discoveries and commitment to actions come from you. I am there to be your ally, to challenge your thinking a little, to reframe what I have heard from you, and generally to be with you, seeing things from your point of view, and helping you identify your goals, your values, and your priorities. But you really do now best, and you do have the authentic answers within you – be it your gut, your instinct, the higher you. You DO know what you need.

There is a psychodynamic element to coaching which I also really enjoy engaging with. If I can name things that are not visible to you, it can bring unconscious actions into your conscious world, and this in itself has an impact. If I can reflect back to you what I am feeling from not only your words, but non-verbal clues, this can also help uncover deeper understandings. And, I am providing you with a container, which is built on trust, and within which you can explore, in a safe and accompanied way. These are all parts of the journey towards being your more authentic self. And the results are quick and the process is fun – I mean really, what is not to like?

If you would like to have a free consultation on whether coaching might be for you, please get in touch.